Bananas are the most familiar exotic fruit
with a dense texture and sweet taste. Fresh dates are sweet and juicy
and more succulent than dried. Physalis, or Cape gooseberries, are
small, fragrant, pleasantly tart orange berries wrapped in a paper
"cape".
Fresh figs have green or purple skins
and sweet, pinkish-red flesh. Available all year around, kiwi fruit need
only peeling and slicing. Lychees are small with a hard pink skin and
sweet-smelling, juicy flesh.
The purplish brown skin of passion
fruit is wrinkled when ripe. Cut the fruit in half and scoop out the
juicy seeds. Pineapple, has juicy yellow flesh and is available all
year. Star fruit falls into pretty five-pointed starts when sliced. The
fruit is ripe when the edges begin to go brown.
The skins of mangoes vary in color, but
the flesh should always be golden yellow, sweet and juicy. Pawpaws have
smooth, yellow-orange skins when ripe. The flesh is orangey pink and
similar in texture to a melon.
Pomegranate seeds and pulp have a
delicate, slightly tart flavor.
